E70: 🧠 Exercise cognition research — Examining how physical activity shapes the brain

WEBVTT
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If we have to cut things like gym and physical education, then "that's okay."
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There's an irony there. You kind of have this reverse, right?
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Like if you cut this out, you're going to compromise potentially in a substantial
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way the development, the brain development, and then you can't achieve those things.
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So I think those are the implications, right? Like how do we take this—
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and that's our role as a polytechnic is to find ways to take this research and
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apply it so that it benefits everybody.
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Music.
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This is Learning Innovation, the Teaching and Learning podcast,
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also known as LITL-Pod.
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We are created by Lethbridge Polytechnic's Centre for Teaching,
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Learning and Innovation, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,
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on the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy.
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In the spirit of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Niitsitapi’ksimpstaan,
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'Real Thinking', we play host to a spectrum of guests from the teaching and learning community.
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As we highlight and explore innovation and education, we hope to kindle warm
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conversations, expand perspective, and foster lasting partnerships today,
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tomorrow, and beyond. The future of learning starts now.
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Oki and welcome. I am your guest host, Craig McCarthy, and I am a Learning
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Experience Designer at Lethbridge Polytechnic.
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We all know how beneficial physical activity can be for your body.
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Stronger muscles and bones, better sleep and cardiovascular health,
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the list goes on. But did you know that physical activity also affects the very
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structure of your brain?
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Exercise cognition refers to the positive impacts that physical activity has
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on cognitive flexibility and function, like memory, attention, and processing speed.
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Our three guests today are here for a roundtable discussion on exercise cognition.
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They'll explain the science behind it, emphasize why movement is essential no
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matter your age, and share their findings from recent research projects.
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We have Simon Schaerz, an Exercise Science instructor at Lethbridge Polytechnic,
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Tyler Duffy, an Exercise Science student at Lethbridge Polytechnic,
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and David Selles, a Physical Education student from the University of Lethbridge.
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David is also a graduate of the Polytechnic's Digital Communications and Media program.
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Welcome, everyone. Thanks for having us. Thank you. Thank you very much.
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So Simon, to start us off, can you tell us a bit more about the exercise cognition
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field and maybe some important things we should know about it before we get into it?
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Yeah, absolutely. I think in your introduction, you did a really good job of explaining it, right?
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So it's ultimately, you know, when we think of exercise, it's,
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well, bodily health, physical well-being, right? That's the first thing we think about.
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And then we can go extend that a bit and talk about cardiovascular health,
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musculoskeletal health, and so on.
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But the conversation usually doesn't necessarily involve the brain and the benefits
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that exercise confers on the brain. So that's kind of what I'm really, really interested in.
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So really to sum up, I mean, exercise cognition is really just the effect that
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exercise has and movement has on the brain and the way that the brain thinks, right?
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So specifically focusing on the neocortex, that's the grey mushy stuff that
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we all think about when we think of the brain, right?
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That handles most of the complex tasks. So cognition is
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really just all of the things that this part of the
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brain does right so you think like attention, memory,
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decision making, evaluating, reward, that
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kind of stuff and so it's all these sort of
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broad skill sets that we have and and we know that exercise has an impact on
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all on all of that so. It emerged kind of in the the late 1950s some initial research
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around you know cognitive decline in the elderly and what role physical activity
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and exercise had in that.
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More research sort of in the 1970s came on that as well.
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I think in the 1970s, I always think like jogging—'yogging'—right?
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How that craze came to be. And maybe that motivated some researchers to do a
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little bit more work around that.
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But yeah, really just kind of certainly for the research that I look at,
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the neuroscience of it really started in sort of the early 2000s, 2003,
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when there was this big meta-analysis that came out, pooled a whole bunch of
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different studies together, and looked specifically at cognition in the elderly
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and the role of fitness, right?
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And from there, it's kind of created this own sort of pocket niche of research
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that a lot of people are doing, right? There's a really good book called 'Spark'.
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I can highly recommend that. It's a little bit dated, 2007, I think is when
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it came out, 2008, something like that.
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But it really gives you a really good landscape of what that is,
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right? So the many different ways in which exercise affects
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the brain. Certainly one of the things we look at, so if we just think about
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cognition as being these sort of broad set of skills, we're really interested
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in executive function, which is kind of a subset of that, and top-down control,
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so how the brain basically makes use of all these skills that the neocortex has, right?
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If you think of cognition as sort of being the orchestra.
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Then executive function would be kind of the conductor.
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And we know that most of the research around executive
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function that's where we really see exercise being effective
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is is being able to to improve those
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particular particular skills and Tyler's going
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to talk a little bit more about I think the the subdomains of
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that later on and then and some of his things that he did. Yeah
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and so I think from some of
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a psychological perspective embodied cognition theory
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is kind of would inform this area which is the inextricable
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link between movement and cognition and and you
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know this this theory being essentially that our brain
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is movement right? That's that's that's how our brain
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develops is through sort of embodying itself in in the physical environment
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and and that's kind of where this this research fits so. I'll stop here because
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I could go on forever. Yeah well yeah this is clearly something that you're all
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you know have a passion for and and and are very you know connected to so maybe
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we could just take a minute to say like how
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Each of you fit into this field and and how did you all connect
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and come to know each other? And David maybe we'll start with you. Yeah so
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I am also currently doing an applied study at the
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at the U of L right now and what I was doing there was looking at different
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physical education concepts of teaching and then that fit in really well with
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this whole side of executive function and how that kind of ties into everything.
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So that's kind of how I got into this, and then,
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yeah, I was put in touch with Simon and here I am.
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And it's been a fun ride. And Simon, how about you?
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Yeah, I think without going too far into detail here, but my interest for the
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connection between movement and the brain came during sort of the latter parts of my undergrad.
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And then going into my master's where we worked on the central governor model
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of fatigue, which basically said that the brain controls what the body does, right?
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Controls movement, especially sort of in very sort of fatigue-induced conditions.
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So I was really interested in endurance performance and how the brain limits
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performance, especially when, you know, the environmental conditions are kind of against you.
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So if it's hot outside, if it's humid, if you're at altitude,
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that kind of stuff. So I went to the University of Regina and did my master's
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there looking at cerebral hemodynamics, so blood flow in the brain.
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And so really focusing on that sort of,
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relationship this top-down relationship—brain equates
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movement and how does it control movement and so on so and then
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as I moved on I was like, "Well what about the other way around?" Right? Like
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"What role does movement actually have in in the development of the brain?" And
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and that's kind of where I went into with my uh with my doctoral dissertation
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is looking at physical activity and the role of physical activity in development in kids.
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And yeah, so I kind of went from there. And here we are now investigating this
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further here in kind of an applied setting at the polytech here.
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And so it's been really fun. And certainly working with students is probably
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the highlight of that, right, is trying to brainwash them into thinking this
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is a cool thing to do. It sounds like it's working.
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Yeah, so on that note then, Tyler, how did you get brainwashed into this exciting topic?
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Yeah, so I'm in my final semester of the Exercise Science program here at the polytechnic.
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And as per our graduation requirements, we have to complete a 50-hour practicum placement.
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So typically this means working with a personal trainer, a physiotherapist,
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or in the sport-med clinic.
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But I ended up approaching Simon to see if there were any research-based opportunities
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available. And luckily he had some ongoing projects that I was able to jump in on and help with.
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Oh, that's awesome. So this isn't like that common of a thing to do to kind
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of use the research as the applied study.
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I think they have in the past and going forward, I believe it's going to be
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something that'll be, I guess, a bit more open to students. So that's, which is great to hear.
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Yeah, that's, that sounds like a really exciting opportunity.
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Okay. So let's maybe like dig into maybe some of the mechanics of like,
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how exactly does exercise improve cognition?
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Yeah, no, that's a great question. An important one to address.
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And certainly there's a lot of work in sort of looking at the mechanisms behind that, right?
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And certainly neuroscientists constantly point to this. They're like,
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well, that's great that you can establish relationships, correlations,
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but how does it actually work?
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And it's really fantastic work in that area and fascinating work to read into.
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Ultimately, I think to keep it really straightforward and simple is a highly
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functioning brain is a highly connected brain, right?
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And the idea is that exercise helps with just that. It's creating this highly connected brain.
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And so there's a kind of a number of different ways that it does that.
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So if we think about connection forming in the brain, usually the term we use
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for that is synaptogenesis, right?
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It's brain cells neurons kind of wiring together and firing together and then when the network of
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neurons in the brain if that becomes more broad and
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then of course the brain's better connected and it'll work better. And and
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so we know that if we look at movement there's motor
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areas there's pre-motor, there's primary motor, and
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there's supplementary motor areas within the neocortex and they're
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in close proximity to sort of the prefrontal areas that are
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you know heavily involved in in cognition right?
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Executive functions in particular. And these neural networks
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cross. So if you improve the
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efficacy or the functionality of one of these neural networks, it'll it'll
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have spillover effects into these other areas. So and so really if we look at
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exercise essentially two different ways in in... by which exercise improves cognition
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specific executive function it's essentially you know,
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Creating an environment that promotes that connection forming,
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that synaptogenesis, and through the immediate release and long-term release, increased release,
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neurotrophic and vascular growth factors within and around the brain.
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So what these chemicals do within the brain is they act like fertilizer essentially,
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certainly for the neurotrophic factors, and that promotes the formation of these
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different neural networks. The vascular factors, they improve the plumbing, right?
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So more blood flowing to certain areas, that means more oxygen arriving at the
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area, more nutrients arriving at these areas, and that promotes the formation
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of these different networks.
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The movement itself then also kind of stimulates synaptogenesis,
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stimulates the formation of these different networks, neural networks within the brain.
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And so, again, looking at these, you know, sort of broad networks across the
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brain, if we improve the connectedness of certain networks within certain areas,
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there's spillover into other areas.
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And so, specifically, if you think about engaging in sort of complex movements,
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right, and Tyler's going to talk a little bit more about what that actually entails,
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cognitively challenging movements, think about dancing, learning a new dance
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routine, right, something to that effect.
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That requires all sorts of different areas within the brain not just one area
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but different areas within the brain being engaged and and that stimulation
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then of course leads to improvements in other areas as well specifically cognition. So yeah so,
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In terms of what type of activities are best, research kind of points to sort
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of moderate to vigorous intensity, so higher intensity activities,
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a sort of a minimum threshold.
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And complex movements, as I mentioned already, I think are really important.
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And if there's a cognitive challenge to them, that's even better.
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Right. Yeah. So not all exercise is created equal. There's things that are
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better for that learning process.
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That's right. Yeah. Yeah. So maybe Tyler, you could just talk to us about that
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now. What—these complex movements, what exactly is that and how does that affect things?
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Yeah, so movements that are incorporating, I guess, gross motor skills where
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you have large muscle groups all incorporated into the game.
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So tennis is a great example because you're adapting to your opponent.
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And like I said, wide range of movements and moderate to vigorous intensity,
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you're moving around the court and should be pretty fatigued by the end of it.
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And when we're saying moderate to vigorous intensity we
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typically mean north of about 50 percent of
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your max heart rate somewhere up near there. Something that's challenging you.
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Yeah right, so what would be maybe some other examples of complex, like tennis
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and dancing or ones that come up. What would be some other complex things that
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people could do? I actually ended up creating games I'll talk more a bit about
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that later but for example one of my games for cognitive flexibility,
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I had nine hula hoops in the middle of a gym and two participants on the other side,
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and they had to run to the middle and play a large game of tic-tac-toe,
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adapting to their opponent and then running back and forth. Right, right. Yeah.
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That's good. Well, I mean, it sounds like these are things that are more fun
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than just like maybe doing a lift. This is up my alley.
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I'm all for having more fun while I'm exercising. So.
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Yeah, so is it different, you know, for kids or adults or like for different people?
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Does this, you know, is it different for my kids versus me? What would affect
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these different things?
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Yeah, I think so. I think the most important thing to stress,
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I think, is that there's benefits for everybody across the lifespan.
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Certainly, if you look at the research, there's an emphasis on studying the younger and the older.
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The younger because the brain is undergoing rapid development.
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So that seems to be kind of a window of opportunity for putting in place interventions
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that will hopefully promote development, nurture development.
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And then, of course, in the elderly, like slowing decline, right?
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Perhaps physical activity and exercise being one way to achieve that.
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But there's also room for this in between, right? So for us,
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essentially, right, adults.
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Well, firstly, I guess, you know, our brain really doesn't cease developing
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until...in a significant way until we're into late 20s. And then even after
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that, through neuroplasticity, there's changes that can occur.
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And one of the things that I've found is, especially in sort of professional
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settings, jobs where, you know, there's decision making under stress,
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under physical exertion.
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In those kind of environments, the benefits of exercise on cognition really,
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really could be beneficial, right?
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So, and you can think of many different jobs, right, where you see that, right?
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Think of, let's say, a paramedic or a firefighter in a situation where they're
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under extreme stress, physical exertion, and they have to make very precise,
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correct decisions. And if they don't, then the consequences could be quite dire.
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So to answer your question, it's the benefits span the lifespan for everybody.
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Yeah, okay. So now that we kind of have a bit of a better grasp of what exercise
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cognition is and why it's so important, maybe we could take a moment to talk
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about the different research that you're all involved in. And so maybe David,
00:16:06.060 --> 00:16:08.740
could you start us off talking about what your research project is that you've
00:16:08.740 --> 00:16:09.940
been working on for the past little while?
00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:15.380
Yeah. So my side of this all is kind of the pre-service teachers side of it.
00:16:16.560 --> 00:16:19.500
Teaching the future teachers what they
00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:23.340
can do to implement this kind of stuff so with
00:16:23.340 --> 00:16:26.360
that there's we've found some
00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:31.120
literature using something called the Pedagogical Knowledge Model which breaks
00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:36.180
these things down into three kind of main areas of content knowledge, pedagogical
00:16:36.180 --> 00:16:41.240
knowledge, and then curricular knowledge as well so our kind of end goal with
00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:43.680
that was to show these pre-service teachers,
00:16:43.680 --> 00:16:48.780
how they can integrate these exercise models into their physical education classes.
00:16:49.700 --> 00:16:54.760
So the importance for that is these things that they teach the students in their
00:16:54.760 --> 00:17:00.140
gym classes can be expanded on and moved from the gym into the classrooms that they're in as well.
00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:03.860
So that's kind of one of the main areas that I was looking at.
00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:07.680
Right. So like educating teachers on these different things and how they could
00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:11.520
be making activities that are more beneficial for students and that sort of thing?
00:17:11.520 --> 00:17:16.960
Yeah, because I mean, right now, I believe it's getting better than it has been
00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:22.580
in the past, but there's still not a lot of truly trained physical education
00:17:22.580 --> 00:17:24.160
teachers in the province.
00:17:24.800 --> 00:17:29.980
And that's where this kind of comes into play. They get more knowledge themselves
00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:33.900
that they're able to positively impact their students with. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:38.960
And that's, you know, as a former teacher, I can totally agree with that.
00:17:39.060 --> 00:17:42.780
You know, I didn't have a physical education background, but every once in a
00:17:42.780 --> 00:17:45.500
while you end up teaching a gym class or, you know, it's not like everyone who
00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:48.020
teaches a gym class is an expert in that.
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:53.320
So there's so much more that goes into teaching, you know, in a gymnasium than
00:17:53.320 --> 00:17:55.720
just, okay, let's play a game or whatever.
00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:58.660
So, yeah, I can definitely see why that would be, you know, an important thing
00:17:58.660 --> 00:18:00.360
to be sharing that knowledge.
00:18:01.020 --> 00:18:04.760
Tyler, can we transition over to your research? What have you been involved in?
00:18:05.220 --> 00:18:09.020
Yeah, you bet. So during my practicum, I worked on two main projects.
00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:14.180
The first was a scoping review investigating the application of progressive
00:18:14.180 --> 00:18:19.240
overload in long-term exercise interventions aimed at improving executive functioning,
00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:22.060
which is a lot of big words. Yes, I'm ready for some explanations.
00:18:22.340 --> 00:18:29.340
Yeah. So for anyone unfamiliar, progressive overload means to gradually increase exercise demands.
00:18:29.340 --> 00:18:33.720
So whether it's through frequency, intensity, time, type, volume,
00:18:34.020 --> 00:18:37.520
in order to keep the body adapting, like you want to be getting better and better.
00:18:37.900 --> 00:18:39.180
You want to be seeing those changes.
00:18:39.860 --> 00:18:44.600
So we were interested in seeing how this principle has been applied specifically
00:18:44.600 --> 00:18:46.760
in optimizing executive functioning.
00:18:47.140 --> 00:18:51.180
And then for my second project was where I worked alongside David and Simon
00:18:51.180 --> 00:18:55.780
to create evidence-based movement strategies for school PE programs.
00:18:56.380 --> 00:19:00.040
That's where I dove into the three core domains of executive functioning so
00:19:00.040 --> 00:19:04.260
this is inhibitory control, working memory, and then cognitive flexibility and
00:19:04.260 --> 00:19:06.040
I can break those down too. Yeah yeah for sure.
00:19:07.297 --> 00:19:11.337
So for inhibitory control, this is your ability to block out distractions and
00:19:11.337 --> 00:19:12.877
suppress impulsive responses.
00:19:13.297 --> 00:19:16.557
So say you're sitting in a lecture and the person next to you is playing a video game.
00:19:16.677 --> 00:19:20.737
Are you able to ignore that person and remain focused on the lecture or do you
00:19:20.737 --> 00:19:22.177
find yourself distracted? Right.
00:19:22.897 --> 00:19:27.457
Working memory is your ability to hold information for short-term use.
00:19:27.457 --> 00:19:30.817
So if I gave you a phone number and then asked you to leave the room to dial
00:19:30.817 --> 00:19:31.837
it, could you still remember it?
00:19:32.597 --> 00:19:35.397
And finally cognitive flexibility so this is
00:19:35.397 --> 00:19:38.177
your ability to adapt to new information or
00:19:38.177 --> 00:19:40.817
stimuli on the fly. Like if you're driving home and you
00:19:40.817 --> 00:19:43.677
hit a road closure could you quickly figure out an alternate route? Yeah so
00:19:43.677 --> 00:19:47.017
in education we have a term called the Zone of Proximal Development which
00:19:47.017 --> 00:19:51.337
is like this this sweet spot between where you know between too easy and too
00:19:51.337 --> 00:19:54.817
hard there's this spot where like that's where you're getting the most growth
00:19:54.817 --> 00:19:58.737
is by not not challenging yourself so hard that you can't actually do the thing
00:19:58.737 --> 00:20:01.857
but not being so easy that you're just not you're not even thinking about it.
00:20:01.917 --> 00:20:03.057
Is that like a similar concept there?
00:20:03.377 --> 00:20:06.917
Yeah, well put. You don't want to, for progressive overload to be effective,
00:20:07.057 --> 00:20:09.517
you don't want to be throwing something incredibly hard at somebody.
00:20:09.517 --> 00:20:11.937
You want to start them off at a light intensity and then you're,
00:20:12.177 --> 00:20:15.357
like I said, progressing over time. Right, right. At like an appropriate pace.
00:20:15.857 --> 00:20:20.757
Perfect. So how has your research impacted how you incorporate physical activity
00:20:20.757 --> 00:20:21.837
in your own life going forward?
00:20:21.917 --> 00:20:25.697
Like, how has it impacted you personally, these projects? Maybe David, we'll start with you.
00:20:26.437 --> 00:20:30.657
Yeah. I mean, for me, as someone planning to become a physical education teacher,
00:20:30.657 --> 00:20:35.077
I think it's been fantastic being able to dive into this and seeing the ways
00:20:35.077 --> 00:20:39.417
that I can kind of shape my students beyond, hey, go run around in the gym for an hour.
00:20:40.217 --> 00:20:45.497
So that's, I mean, the main thing with it for me is I find like getting moving
00:20:45.497 --> 00:20:49.817
isn't the only goal for these kids. There's so much more to it.
00:20:51.697 --> 00:20:58.257
And the benefits for them can impact their lives more than just...
00:20:59.105 --> 00:21:02.585
Physically. It—there is a mental aspect to what we're
00:21:02.585 --> 00:21:05.325
teaching them so for me that's that's been
00:21:05.325 --> 00:21:08.685
a big thing for me is just seeing how yeah that
00:21:08.685 --> 00:21:11.705
that mental side of of that physical
00:21:11.705 --> 00:21:15.565
education is is pretty cool yeah so have you had a chance to play around with
00:21:15.565 --> 00:21:18.945
this and some of your like student teaching experiences? With my applied study
00:21:18.945 --> 00:21:23.745
I had a chance to teach a couple different models to some the university students
00:21:23.745 --> 00:21:29.245
and then those those also play into kind of this as well so there's it's.
00:21:30.125 --> 00:21:35.065
You need some of the unpredictability in order to actually impact the the executive
00:21:35.065 --> 00:21:39.505
function side of things yeah so with that there's the two main models I looked
00:21:39.505 --> 00:21:44.385
at were a model-based learning and then a cooperative-based learning and the
00:21:44.385 --> 00:21:46.385
modeled is exactly what it sounds like where,
00:21:47.005 --> 00:21:53.285
you model the movements for the students and then they kind of mimic and then you can correct.
00:21:53.785 --> 00:21:59.785
And then the cooperative side of things is as a teacher, you don't actually teach much.
00:21:59.965 --> 00:22:04.365
You say, this is the activity we're doing. You put them in groups and they teach each other.
00:22:04.785 --> 00:22:09.645
So that kind of gets their minds going and kind of seeing what they can do with that as well.
00:22:09.925 --> 00:22:14.545
So yeah, those, those kinds of things, I had a couple of chances to do some
00:22:14.545 --> 00:22:18.025
of that with, with some of the university students I was teaching. No, that's awesome.
00:22:18.721 --> 00:22:21.621
And Tyler, how about you? What has this kind of meant for you going forward?
00:22:22.001 --> 00:22:26.221
So I was actually born off of pneumonia, which meant there was a lack of oxygen to my brain.
00:22:26.361 --> 00:22:30.221
And the first thing the doctor said to my parents was that my executive functioning
00:22:30.221 --> 00:22:33.221
skills would be limited and to not expect much from me.
00:22:33.421 --> 00:22:35.761
Which first-time parents, that's a brutal thing to hear.
00:22:36.101 --> 00:22:38.841
Like awful. Here's your son. Sorry. Type thing.
00:22:39.461 --> 00:22:43.301
And growing up, I definitely noticed it. I didn't learn as quickly as my classmates.
00:22:43.461 --> 00:22:47.801
And it always felt like it took me twice as long to understand new concepts.
00:22:49.401 --> 00:22:52.301
And I reached a point where I was like okay this
00:22:52.301 --> 00:22:55.541
is how it is, it's completely fixed. Until I
00:22:55.541 --> 00:22:58.581
ended up taking Simon's Ex-phys class where he
00:22:58.581 --> 00:23:01.301
introduced us to the idea that physical activity can
00:23:01.301 --> 00:23:05.301
actually enhance brain function and support cognitive development so I was over
00:23:05.301 --> 00:23:09.021
the moon I started applying these principles to my own life programming specific
00:23:09.021 --> 00:23:12.921
activities for myself and over time I definitely saw improvements in my academics.
00:23:12.921 --> 00:23:16.781
So it's kind of wild that I went from being told I wouldn't achieve much because
00:23:16.781 --> 00:23:20.621
of executive functioning to now studying executive functioning. Right, right.
00:23:20.861 --> 00:23:24.121
And going forward, I definitely want to stay in this field because I'm very
00:23:24.121 --> 00:23:25.521
passionate about this type of research.
00:23:25.941 --> 00:23:29.781
Yeah, I'll never forget sitting in Simon's class and then seeing executive functioning
00:23:29.781 --> 00:23:32.101
pop up on the board and immediately like had my attention.
00:23:32.701 --> 00:23:36.181
And I think applying that so to design programs that can help others,
00:23:36.421 --> 00:23:39.561
especially for youth who, like me, were told they had those limits.
00:23:40.061 --> 00:23:43.921
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So Simon, what can you tell us maybe about some of these
00:23:43.921 --> 00:23:45.741
classes or things that you're teaching
00:23:45.901 --> 00:23:49.461
students that in that way? So Exercise Science right that's the program that
00:23:49.461 --> 00:23:53.441
I that I teach in, so we have a number of different courses certainly with exercise
00:23:53.441 --> 00:23:57.161
physiology that's probably the course where we talk about this the most a little
00:23:57.161 --> 00:23:59.001
bit in research methods as well as because my
00:23:59.771 --> 00:24:04.691
passions kind of seep through there, but exercise physiology is kind of the home for that content.
00:24:04.971 --> 00:24:12.271
And so the course really is about how the body responds short-term and adapts long-term to exercise.
00:24:12.591 --> 00:24:15.491
And we basically go across different bodily systems, right?
00:24:15.571 --> 00:24:19.751
We start with usually just the metabolism and things like that.
00:24:19.771 --> 00:24:24.711
And then we talk about muscles and bones and how they adapt to exercise.
00:24:24.991 --> 00:24:26.491
We talk about the cardiovascular system.
00:24:26.771 --> 00:24:29.271
And then we talk about the nervous system at the end, right?
00:24:29.271 --> 00:24:30.871
And we kind of look at it both ways, right?
00:24:31.051 --> 00:24:35.891
So top down, bottom up. So how is it that the brain controls movement and the
00:24:35.891 --> 00:24:37.751
mechanisms behind that? And then the other way around, well,
00:24:37.791 --> 00:24:38.711
well what about movement itself?
00:24:38.851 --> 00:24:40.971
How does that influence the brain? It's bidirectional.
00:24:41.311 --> 00:24:45.311
So, and we've got a lab that we usually do it towards the end of the course
00:24:45.311 --> 00:24:47.151
where we kind of study that.
00:24:47.331 --> 00:24:51.171
It's okay, well, let's do some of these cognitive tests and let's do them after
00:24:51.171 --> 00:24:55.751
exercise and after just like a sedentary condition and then explore the differences.
00:24:55.751 --> 00:24:58.711
And usually it's... the differences are
00:24:58.711 --> 00:25:01.811
quite substantial. Right. And and so
00:25:01.811 --> 00:25:04.811
sometimes I get students quite excited and Tyler's
00:25:04.811 --> 00:25:07.471
certainly one of those. And yeah try to have
00:25:07.471 --> 00:25:10.331
lots of fun. Yeah so I guess yeah Tyler and
00:25:10.331 --> 00:25:13.331
David you've kind of made the the a bit of a transition from
00:25:13.331 --> 00:25:15.991
just kind of learning things in the classroom to actually trying to
00:25:15.991 --> 00:25:18.831
research things yourself what's that been like kind of researching for the first time
00:25:18.831 --> 00:25:21.731
yeah it's been interesting for sure it's not
00:25:21.731 --> 00:25:24.431
something that I had done much at all and I mean
00:25:24.431 --> 00:25:28.051
I'm in my just about finished my third year at the university and this is the
00:25:28.051 --> 00:25:33.051
first like bigger research that I had done but it's it's so much easier to do
00:25:33.051 --> 00:25:36.551
it when you're passionate about what you're researching and that's why I thought
00:25:36.551 --> 00:25:42.091
this was such a great fit for me as someone going into teaching physical education and wanting to know.
00:25:42.811 --> 00:25:47.251
Just different ways to impact my students and moving forward and that kind of stuff it,
00:25:47.825 --> 00:25:52.345
Yeah, it's still challenging for sure, like coming up with different ways of
00:25:52.345 --> 00:25:55.305
researching and looking into different topics and that kind of stuff.
00:25:55.485 --> 00:26:00.105
But again, when it's something you're passionate about, it makes it a lot easier and a lot more fun.
00:26:00.325 --> 00:26:02.565
Yeah, for sure. Part of why I got into the research...
00:26:03.085 --> 00:26:05.125
I just remember coaching this
00:26:05.125 --> 00:26:10.585
one kid in baseball who could not get a hit if his life depended on it.
00:26:11.105 --> 00:26:17.945
And just the consistency of working with him and then ended up in the finals
00:26:17.945 --> 00:26:20.145
and he got the game-winning hit.
00:26:20.445 --> 00:26:23.425
And it's just like that. So it's like, it's that kind of stuff, right?
00:26:23.545 --> 00:26:28.865
It's like you see the work put in and then you see kind of the end goal reached.
00:26:28.865 --> 00:26:32.625
Yeah. And that's that's where knowing that
00:26:32.625 --> 00:26:36.305
this is the kind of research that could continue that... yeah, that's
00:26:36.305 --> 00:26:39.305
that was kind of my aha moment I would say. Yeah that's
00:26:39.305 --> 00:26:42.805
a good one, yeah absolutely. Tyler how about you? What uh what's it been like kind
00:26:42.805 --> 00:26:46.005
of doing this research for the first time or what's kind of been—stood out to
00:26:46.005 --> 00:26:50.125
you I guess as like some aha moments maybe? So I work with kids in a before-school
00:26:50.125 --> 00:26:54.285
setting and with permission from my supervisor and the parents because that's
00:26:54.285 --> 00:26:56.385
important I've actually been applying what I've learned.
00:26:56.785 --> 00:26:59.685
I've been running some of these cognitive-based games with the kids before they
00:26:59.685 --> 00:27:01.085
head off to their classes for the day.
00:27:01.785 --> 00:27:05.485
And it's been a cool way to see the research in action and start thinking about
00:27:05.485 --> 00:27:10.105
how programs like this could be scaled up or integrated more widely,
00:27:10.105 --> 00:27:12.465
I guess, into school-based physical activity.
00:27:12.945 --> 00:27:14.705
Right. Some of those games you've been running with the kids,
00:27:14.825 --> 00:27:18.185
you mentioned a couple so far, but so what are some of those things that you're trying out?
00:27:18.585 --> 00:27:22.105
Yeah. So we actually did one this morning, the one for working memory.
00:27:22.645 --> 00:27:24.345
So this one's called Pattern Pursuit.
00:27:24.945 --> 00:27:30.245
Where I put five to seven coloured cones in some kind of circle around the kids,
00:27:30.805 --> 00:27:32.305
and I'll give them a sequence.
00:27:32.625 --> 00:27:37.245
So for example, red, green, orange, yellow, and they have to remember the sequence
00:27:37.245 --> 00:27:39.205
and execute it before running back.
00:27:39.745 --> 00:27:42.825
Yeah, they've been loving that one. No, that sounds like lots of fun.
00:27:43.245 --> 00:27:45.825
David, how have you been going about that? Is it you're talking about like,
00:27:45.965 --> 00:27:48.765
you know, teaching teachers and that kind of stuff. What's been,
00:27:49.005 --> 00:27:50.165
what is that kind of process like?
00:27:51.045 --> 00:27:55.525
So, yeah, I mean, the main thing with that is just ensuring that they have the
00:27:55.525 --> 00:27:58.505
information they need to properly execute it.
00:27:58.845 --> 00:28:04.665
So, I mean, the overarching idea is that if these pre-service teachers are trained
00:28:04.665 --> 00:28:10.265
in the way that we want them to be, they can design their gym classes to hit
00:28:10.265 --> 00:28:13.265
those executive function spots, right?
00:28:13.365 --> 00:28:16.905
And then that's where you don't just see a physical improvement,
00:28:16.945 --> 00:28:21.005
but you see the behavioural and the academic improvement as well.
00:28:21.265 --> 00:28:25.165
So it's that old cliche, it's a win-win, right? Everyone's happy. Yeah.
00:28:25.525 --> 00:28:33.105
But then the other side of that is it kind of helps erase the misconceptions out there that...
00:28:34.844 --> 00:28:38.224
Physical education is just about physical activity, right?
00:28:38.604 --> 00:28:42.464
There is an element of brain health involved. And with that,
00:28:42.604 --> 00:28:46.984
it gives those teachers the ammunition in a way that they need to kind of keep
00:28:46.984 --> 00:28:51.364
their physical activity, physical education programs in the schools, right?
00:28:51.464 --> 00:28:55.704
Because a lot of the times you'll hear, oh, like academics, they need their
00:28:55.704 --> 00:28:57.944
math, they need their science, they need all that kind of stuff.
00:28:58.064 --> 00:29:01.224
And it's just, oh, like they'll run around on the weekends and
00:29:01.224 --> 00:29:04.364
after school and that's enough. But this this
00:29:04.364 --> 00:29:08.104
research is showing that no like this is very
00:29:08.104 --> 00:29:10.804
impactful for these kids yeah kids aren't just robots they need
00:29:10.804 --> 00:29:13.444
to actually move around be humans and not just you know
00:29:13.444 --> 00:29:17.844
sit—yeah exactly—eight hours a day or whatever. Yeah. So Simon what's
00:29:17.844 --> 00:29:20.984
it been like you know being involved with the student research end? Oh it's my
00:29:20.984 --> 00:29:24.484
favourite part for sure being an instructor here is just working you know in
00:29:24.484 --> 00:29:27.344
a more sort of one-on-one setting with students that are really passionate about
00:29:27.344 --> 00:29:31.304
the topic researching. I mean applied research is we're really strong in that
00:29:31.304 --> 00:29:32.224
here at the polytech, right?
00:29:32.264 --> 00:29:34.924
We do a great job. We have a number of different projects on the go.
00:29:35.724 --> 00:29:39.284
And I think it's a fantastic way for students to learn, right?
00:29:40.004 --> 00:29:44.984
Here's the cutting-edge stuff. Not only that, here's how you apply it into sort
00:29:44.984 --> 00:29:46.884
of real-world settings, right?
00:29:46.904 --> 00:29:50.744
Which is what we're all about, right? Yeah. Be ready. Be ready.
00:29:51.044 --> 00:29:55.924
And yeah, so definitely working with students in this kind of format is by far
00:29:55.924 --> 00:29:59.464
the highlight of my career here, right?
00:29:59.644 --> 00:30:02.804
Certainly. Right. So what are some of the implications of this research going forward?
00:30:04.104 --> 00:30:07.264
Yeah, I think the biggest thing is we need more applied research, right?
00:30:07.384 --> 00:30:10.604
There's a lot of original research, basic research into physiology,
00:30:10.604 --> 00:30:14.244
the mechanisms, does exercise work? How does it work? What are the moderators?
00:30:14.424 --> 00:30:18.384
All that stuff. So, but what if we apply it right in the real-world setting?
00:30:18.764 --> 00:30:25.784
And again, specifically looking at sort of jobs, professions where the stakes are high, right?
00:30:25.784 --> 00:30:29.584
Where the stress potentially is high, there's high physical exertion.
00:30:29.724 --> 00:30:35.164
How can we better equip people working in that environment from a cognitive perspective, right?
00:30:35.244 --> 00:30:41.944
So how can we ensure that, you know, the rate of errors, right, is reduced?
00:30:42.264 --> 00:30:45.864
And certainly I think exercise is a fantastic way to do that,
00:30:45.924 --> 00:30:49.944
especially if you combine exercise with certain cognitive aspects, right?
00:30:50.524 --> 00:30:56.404
And so I think that is sort of a really important thing that we need to do a better job of.
00:30:57.204 --> 00:31:02.384
And yeah, and then as, you know, looking at specifically at what David has done,
00:31:02.624 --> 00:31:05.164
his work within the school setting.
00:31:05.324 --> 00:31:12.024
And I think one of the biggest things is, and he's touched on this really, really well, is the...
00:31:12.501 --> 00:31:16.961
Role of physical education in school and trying to, in a sense,
00:31:17.101 --> 00:31:19.341
kind of redefine that role, right?
00:31:19.521 --> 00:31:23.281
Right now, and certainly, you know, over the last 20 years, it's been physical
00:31:23.281 --> 00:31:25.061
activity promotion. We need to get kids.
00:31:25.161 --> 00:31:28.081
They need to be active, right? And that's incredibly important,
00:31:28.381 --> 00:31:30.381
right? I wrote a whole dissertation on that.
00:31:30.921 --> 00:31:35.461
But I think there's opportunity for more, right? And it's not just physical
00:31:35.461 --> 00:31:37.621
education. It's not just a space where you blow off steam.
00:31:38.201 --> 00:31:42.001
It's a place where you can really learn complex skills.
00:31:42.181 --> 00:31:45.961
It's a place where you can learn how to cope with cognitive challenges while
00:31:45.961 --> 00:31:48.381
you're, you know, maybe operating at higher intensities.
00:31:48.881 --> 00:31:52.261
It's a place where you learn movements, either through, you know,
00:31:52.541 --> 00:31:55.561
the teacher modelling it or working with students.
00:31:56.701 --> 00:31:59.801
There's so much more that we can do there. And then, of course,
00:31:59.941 --> 00:32:04.461
there's then the spillover, the benefits into the academic realm.
00:32:04.661 --> 00:32:07.701
And so kind of redefining that as we got our academics over
00:32:07.701 --> 00:32:10.721
here they're incredibly important this is how we measure kids
00:32:10.721 --> 00:32:13.981
right? Against other jurisdictions we
00:32:13.981 --> 00:32:16.681
need to make sure they meet those standards and and if we have to
00:32:16.681 --> 00:32:19.521
cut things like gym and physical education, then "that's okay."
00:32:19.521 --> 00:32:22.321
Right? That's you know there's an irony there like
00:32:22.321 --> 00:32:25.161
it's you kind of have this reverse right? Like if you cut this out like
00:32:25.161 --> 00:32:28.841
you're going to compromise potentially in
00:32:28.841 --> 00:32:31.861
a substantial way the development, the brain development,
00:32:31.861 --> 00:32:34.481
and then you can't achieve those things. So I
00:32:34.481 --> 00:32:37.501
think those are the implications right? Like how do we take this—and
00:32:37.501 --> 00:32:40.441
that's our role as a polytechnic is to find ways to to
00:32:40.441 --> 00:32:43.201
take this research and apply it so that it
00:32:43.201 --> 00:32:48.041
it benefits everybody. Whether it's a child whether it's you know a firefighter
00:32:48.041 --> 00:32:53.341
or paramedic whether it's somebody just trying to age healthily. Right, right.
00:32:53.341 --> 00:32:57.081
So like the the research behind the effects are like are pretty solid at
00:32:57.081 --> 00:33:01.161
this point I'm sure there's still lots to be to be researched. But so now what do we do with that?
00:33:01.361 --> 00:33:04.821
Like, how do we do something about knowing that this actually helps people?
00:33:05.261 --> 00:33:07.641
Yeah, I think. And there's a great opportunity for that, right?
00:33:07.721 --> 00:33:09.981
Right. Doing more work on these sort of in the applied area.
00:33:10.661 --> 00:33:15.341
Right. So David and Tyler, I'm curious now, like you've done these or well,
00:33:15.401 --> 00:33:16.381
I mean, you're not totally finished.
00:33:16.521 --> 00:33:19.601
You're doing these research projects, but where are you hoping that this takes
00:33:19.601 --> 00:33:20.781
you? Where are you hoping to go in this field?
00:33:21.481 --> 00:33:25.121
Yeah. I mean, for me, it's direct application for myself.
00:33:25.341 --> 00:33:30.241
Yeah. that I'd love to be able to take what I've learned on this and then apply
00:33:30.241 --> 00:33:32.221
it to my own teaching in the future.
00:33:33.081 --> 00:33:36.961
But beyond that, I'd love to continue advocating for...
00:33:37.915 --> 00:33:45.675
This kind of research to be taught to more teachers. There's I want to say it's
00:33:45.675 --> 00:33:52.715
Hungary that they their physical education teachers are almost 100 per cent of them are
00:33:52.715 --> 00:33:54.795
specialized in physical education.
00:33:55.355 --> 00:33:58.455
So if you're teaching over there and that is your subject that
00:33:58.455 --> 00:34:01.235
is what you do you. That is
00:34:01.235 --> 00:34:04.255
what you're taught to teach. And I'd love
00:34:04.255 --> 00:34:07.695
to see more of that creep its way into Canada
00:34:07.695 --> 00:34:11.175
and North America really. Just... there's there's
00:34:11.175 --> 00:34:14.655
not enough knowledge for these
00:34:14.655 --> 00:34:17.595
teachers going into... right? Because
00:34:17.595 --> 00:34:20.395
not a lot of them, if you're going
00:34:20.395 --> 00:34:23.275
into either university here or anywhere across
00:34:23.275 --> 00:34:26.695
the country, the programs aren't built for
00:34:26.695 --> 00:34:31.015
teaching you to teach phys ed. They're teaching
00:34:31.015 --> 00:34:34.215
you everything else. Yeah right so
00:34:34.215 --> 00:34:39.875
that for me is well I'm applying this to myself in the future, I'd love to keep
00:34:39.875 --> 00:34:45.115
pushing that forward and giving the opportunity to other potential teachers
00:34:45.115 --> 00:34:48.855
to learning this information as well and applying it themselves. Yeah I know
00:34:48.855 --> 00:34:51.215
I can totally see the the value in that. You know most
00:34:52.175 --> 00:34:55.935
teachers are generalist teachers and so in university courses they might
00:34:55.935 --> 00:34:58.775
take a course on literacy and numeracy and like these are things that we think
00:34:58.775 --> 00:35:02.015
are important enough you know that you know every teacher should know a little
00:35:02.015 --> 00:35:03.675
bit about but yeah that you're right I don't think,
00:35:04.155 --> 00:35:07.715
I've heard of a course just specifically that you know that all students need
00:35:07.715 --> 00:35:11.255
to all student teachers need to take a course on visit specifically and I could
00:35:11.255 --> 00:35:14.695
see how this is something that's so important for for students that would be
00:35:14.695 --> 00:35:17.575
like a great way to kind of increase teachers,
00:35:18.255 --> 00:35:22.675
you know knowledge and capability of helping students learn. Tyler how about
00:35:22.675 --> 00:35:26.475
uh how about for you? Where are you hoping this takes you? I say I'm in the same
00:35:26.475 --> 00:35:28.755
boat as David for the application
00:35:29.935 --> 00:35:33.415
portion with those specific parameters met suddenly
00:35:33.415 --> 00:35:38.135
even basic playground games or team drills and sports can suddenly become very
00:35:38.135 --> 00:35:42.135
effective tools, cognitive tools, if they're structured the right way. So I think
00:35:42.135 --> 00:35:45.915
applying that and continuing to apply that with the kids in the morning and
00:35:45.915 --> 00:35:50.315
I'd like to eventually assess and maybe get some objective data.
00:35:50.595 --> 00:35:54.015
Like I get some subjective results from the kids occasionally and they'll come
00:35:54.015 --> 00:35:56.055
up to me and say, well, yeah, there was a good day at school today.
00:35:56.195 --> 00:35:59.275
I found that like I was able to sit and I was like, oh, that's great. It's great to hear.
00:35:59.815 --> 00:36:03.535
So I think I'd like to apply that a bit more and dive a bit deeper. Right.
00:36:04.015 --> 00:36:06.655
Yeah. So I guess is there, I mean, in the meantime, you know,
00:36:06.735 --> 00:36:10.195
we don't have a physical education class for all teachers or anything like that.
00:36:10.295 --> 00:36:14.195
Is there things that teachers or parents or current students could
00:36:14.195 --> 00:36:16.015
be doing that would be beneficial?
00:36:16.823 --> 00:36:21.403
I love doing like outreach type of work. And so last year we had the,
00:36:21.523 --> 00:36:24.803
what's it called? HPEC conference here on campus.
00:36:24.963 --> 00:36:28.103
So this is for all physical education teachers and not just physical education
00:36:28.103 --> 00:36:29.163
teachers, teachers in general.
00:36:29.323 --> 00:36:33.663
And so we actually did a little seminar and talked about exactly this, right?
00:36:33.923 --> 00:36:36.383
And the cognitive benefits of exercise.
00:36:36.763 --> 00:36:41.263
So more of that kind of stuff, right? And even, you know, you have practicum
00:36:41.263 --> 00:36:44.483
students in the exercise science program here that are in schools.
00:36:44.723 --> 00:36:47.983
And we're seeing that more and more. We're really exploring those opportunities.
00:36:48.163 --> 00:36:52.203
Like, hey, how can we situate our students in schools a little bit more and
00:36:52.203 --> 00:36:54.043
talk about the benefits of exercise, right?
00:36:54.363 --> 00:36:57.263
Physical, cognitive, across all the domains.
00:36:58.103 --> 00:37:00.303
And so I think that's a really great way to do that.
00:37:01.683 --> 00:37:05.523
Advice is, well, actually, maybe I'll say this. So I know that David is going
00:37:05.523 --> 00:37:06.743
to go into physical education.
00:37:06.923 --> 00:37:10.743
What I would love to see is for him when he's, you know, walking down the hall
00:37:10.743 --> 00:37:14.723
and he's got his ID card, his whistle, and his stopwatch.
00:37:14.883 --> 00:37:18.063
He's this, you know, well-established physical education specialist teacher now.
00:37:18.263 --> 00:37:23.063
What I want him to do is give the English language arts teacher or the science
00:37:23.063 --> 00:37:25.043
teacher homework, journal articles.
00:37:25.143 --> 00:37:28.643
You know, here are the cognitive benefits of exercise.
00:37:28.803 --> 00:37:32.923
Here's why physical education is important. Do your reading, right?
00:37:33.363 --> 00:37:38.003
And then hopefully there's more room for sort of interdisciplinary collaboration
00:37:38.003 --> 00:37:41.703
in schools and say, hey, you know, what you're doing in the classroom actually
00:37:41.703 --> 00:37:43.583
benefits what I do here and vice versa.
00:37:43.983 --> 00:37:47.583
So, yeah. So, I mean, David, I guess what would be some of those things that
00:37:47.583 --> 00:37:49.723
you would like more teachers to know about if there's something that you could
00:37:49.723 --> 00:37:53.183
kind of say to teachers that would be helpful for them in their practice?
00:37:53.283 --> 00:37:54.303
Is there anything that
00:37:54.740 --> 00:37:57.280
that comes to mind? Oh, that's a big one.
00:37:59.420 --> 00:38:05.400
Honestly, it's like, you don't want to put more stuff on a teacher's plate. Absolutely.
00:38:05.680 --> 00:38:10.880
Right. Yep. But it is right now it's, it's not as freely available information.
00:38:11.380 --> 00:38:21.280
So the start is for those teachers of 15, 20 years to kind of look and put their
00:38:21.280 --> 00:38:24.600
student shoes back on and kind of look at some of that research themselves.
00:38:24.740 --> 00:38:26.180
Like, like Simon had mentioned, right?
00:38:26.780 --> 00:38:31.360
It's, you've got to, you've got to learn it well before you can teach it well.
00:38:32.340 --> 00:38:36.840
And I think that's where this is all going to start, right?
00:38:37.200 --> 00:38:39.620
Once, once these teachers know the
00:38:39.620 --> 00:38:42.820
information, then that's when it can be translated to the students. Right.
00:38:43.200 --> 00:38:46.560
Is there any like simple things that teacher could be doing?
00:38:46.640 --> 00:38:48.500
Cause exactly like you said, like teachers are very busy.
00:38:48.640 --> 00:38:52.080
They, they, you know, they have enough on their plates already. Yeah.
00:38:52.220 --> 00:38:53.620
I mean, some of that would even
00:38:53.620 --> 00:38:58.300
potentially just be reworking what they're doing in their gym classes.
00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:02.940
Right. So I know a lot of teachers, it's like when I was a student going through
00:39:02.940 --> 00:39:07.160
gym class, it was, okay, we're playing floor hockey today. Here's your sticks.
00:39:07.680 --> 00:39:14.060
Go. Right. Right? You, you can kind of change that into getting them to think
00:39:14.060 --> 00:39:15.620
about the movements that they're doing.
00:39:15.960 --> 00:39:20.440
Right. It doesn't have to be super in-depth to start. It's just get them thinking
00:39:20.440 --> 00:39:23.440
about the processes of those movements to start.
00:39:23.780 --> 00:39:27.620
And then once you learn more, then you can implement more.
00:39:27.800 --> 00:39:32.320
But yeah, just kind of take what you're doing in your gym classes now.
00:39:33.072 --> 00:39:38.152
And get everyone involved to think about it more. Right. Simon? I would say games.
00:39:38.692 --> 00:39:41.352
I think that's probably, if you sum it up in one word, games,
00:39:41.372 --> 00:39:44.312
I think would be a really good way to incorporate some of this.
00:39:44.752 --> 00:39:50.152
And I know Tyler created these games. We actually made really good videos of it as well.
00:39:50.572 --> 00:39:54.072
And so maybe there's a way to actually post these to the podcast, the links.
00:39:54.272 --> 00:39:55.992
Yeah, yeah, we can have these in the show notes for sure. Yeah,
00:39:56.052 --> 00:39:59.012
absolutely. And so we got three games and it goes through them.
00:39:59.012 --> 00:40:01.652
It says okay here's what what the
00:40:01.652 --> 00:40:04.712
games are how they work the rules here's how
00:40:04.712 --> 00:40:07.952
you progress them here's how you adapt them over time to to
00:40:07.952 --> 00:40:11.612
make sure that they're always going to be challenging or continue
00:40:11.612 --> 00:40:14.912
to to evolve in terms of being challenging and
00:40:14.912 --> 00:40:19.372
then it also aligns them with educational standards and and so that was his
00:40:19.372 --> 00:40:24.652
big thing there so a little shameless self-promotion on Tyler's videos. Yeah
00:40:24.652 --> 00:40:28.472
no, they're great. That sounds like a great resource for teachers. So is there
00:40:28.472 --> 00:40:31.532
I know you're still in the middle of this research but is there other research
00:40:31.532 --> 00:40:34.012
that you're you're thinking about maybe things that you might want to do next?
00:40:34.472 --> 00:40:37.492
Yeah I think just continuing to explore this
00:40:37.492 --> 00:40:40.492
in an applied setting right? And so working with
00:40:40.492 --> 00:40:43.472
students here at the polytech who are maybe going
00:40:43.472 --> 00:40:49.492
into professions potentially where they're going to encounter stressful situations,
00:40:49.492 --> 00:40:56.892
physically exerting situations, and and finding ways to create exercise interventions
00:40:56.892 --> 00:41:02.472
that will actually help them cope cognitively in those situations. I think that would be my...
00:41:03.239 --> 00:41:06.319
Next goal. So, and then finding industry partners
00:41:06.319 --> 00:41:09.359
that's always important for applied research right? Is finding somebody
00:41:09.359 --> 00:41:12.199
that can directly benefit and is willing to
00:41:12.199 --> 00:41:15.799
to fork up some cash. So I've heard you've also recently gotten some grant funding
00:41:15.799 --> 00:41:19.399
for some of this research as well. Yeah actually just last week we got notification
00:41:19.399 --> 00:41:23.659
that we were awarded a SSHRC exchange grant and so that gives us a little bit
00:41:23.659 --> 00:41:29.179
of money for David to take his research to Italy to the ECSS the European College
00:41:29.179 --> 00:41:31.959
of Sports Science Conference to present his research.
00:41:32.319 --> 00:41:35.959
And so obviously really great opportunity. I mean, it's Italy, one,
00:41:36.139 --> 00:41:42.319
and it exposes him to sort of broad, international audience and gets the research
00:41:42.319 --> 00:41:47.399
out there and hopefully spark some discussions and hopefully get some feedback
00:41:47.399 --> 00:41:50.559
to kind of see what are other places,
00:41:50.779 --> 00:41:53.259
what are other jurisdictions around the world, what are other researchers,
00:41:53.779 --> 00:41:59.079
specialists in the field actually doing within this area and what are some of
00:41:59.079 --> 00:41:59.819
the things that they've learned?
00:42:00.039 --> 00:42:05.459
Yeah, yeah. David, you must be excited to get a chance to share this in a whole other continent.
00:42:05.959 --> 00:42:10.959
Yeah, yeah, I'm thrilled. It's going to be challenging, I think.
00:42:11.699 --> 00:42:16.479
It'll be the first time I'm presenting research, especially on a level like this.
00:42:16.899 --> 00:42:19.639
But more excited than anything, right?
00:42:19.719 --> 00:42:24.839
Because I get to see what others are researching and what they're learning about
00:42:24.839 --> 00:42:29.679
the field and then can implement a little bit about what I'm doing as well and
00:42:29.679 --> 00:42:30.759
see if there's crossover,
00:42:31.159 --> 00:42:34.839
see if I can now steal some of what they're doing and bring it back here, you know.
00:42:35.659 --> 00:42:40.359
So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to that opportunity for sure. Yeah, that's amazing.
00:42:41.459 --> 00:42:47.159
Well, thank you all so much for joining us today. Yeah, it's been just a great
00:42:47.159 --> 00:42:50.579
opportunity to learn about this important field in education.
00:42:51.139 --> 00:42:53.159
Thank you for having us. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
00:42:53.159 --> 00:42:56.299
This episode featured Craig McCarthy as host and Simon Schaerz,
00:42:56.439 --> 00:42:58.339
David Selles, and Tyler Duffy as guests.
00:42:58.999 --> 00:43:02.459
Jordana Gagnon was our producer, Spencer Nelson was our sound technician,
00:43:02.759 --> 00:43:04.059
and Ryan Robinson was the editor.
00:43:04.479 --> 00:43:07.539
Our podcast is funded by Lethbridge Polytechnic Centre for Teaching,
00:43:07.759 --> 00:43:11.319
Learning, and Innovation and recorded on the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy.
00:43:11.599 --> 00:43:15.079
For more episodes, head to learninginnovation.ca/podcast.
00:43:15.379 --> 00:43:16.679
Thanks for listening and take care.